Germany must be ‘fit for war’ until 2029, defense minister says

BERLIN

Germany must be “fit for war” until 2029, the country’s defense minister said on Wednesday.

Addressing lawmakers during a question-and-answer session in parliament, Boris Pistorius claimed that Russia was preparing for another conflict.

“Russia has switched to a war economy and has been continuing its rearmament. We should not believe that Putin will stop at the borders of Ukraine if he gets that far,” he said.

“Russia poses a threat to Georgia, Moldova and ultimately to NATO, and therefore we must continue providing military support to Ukraine."

Pistorius called on lawmakers to support government’s efforts for Ukraine, and its plan to significantly boost defense spending in the coming years.

“We must not neglect our own defense and operational readiness. Putin's war economy is working towards another conflict. We must be fit for war by 2029 , we must provide deterrence to prevent the worst from happening,” he said.